More than 1000 vulnerable children across WA do not have an allocated child protection case worker.
The shocking figure can be revealed in the wake of the suicide death of a 10-year-old boy in the State earlier this month.
It can also be disclosed that the number of children without case workers has increased by 86 per cent over the past nine years.
The Department of Communities is in the spotlight after the death of the young Aboriginal boy, with his family claiming he bounced between 26 different caseworkers over the three years he was in care.
The department would not confirm details about the boy’s access to caseworkers.
Figures obtained by The West Australian revealed there were 1161 unallocated cases on its books on April 5.
It says those cases are “allocated to a team leader and are on a ‘monitored list’”.
“Communities aims to ensure all children have an allocated case worker,” a department spokesperson said.
However, the CPSU/CSA, the union representing child protection workers, claimed workers are operating in a “perpetual state of crisis” and called for 200 frontline, support, and administrative staff.
Documents show staffing issues have plagued the department for almost a decade.
In a submission to a 2015 inquiry into a shocking case in which a 15-year-old killed his newborn baby, the union claimed the monitored list was used as a tool to keep high case loads under the legal limit.
Per a 2007 Industrial Relations Commission order, workers are only allowed an “upper limit of 15 cases”.
“The department consistently argues that cases on the monitored list are stable cases requiring minimal intervention; however, feedback from members disputes this,” the union said at the time.
In January 2015, there were 626 cases on the monitored list. That number now sits at 1161 nine years later, an 86 per cent increase.
In comparison, the number of children in out-of-home care only grew by 9 per cent between 2016 and 2022.
The department says the monitored list is “dynamic and changes daily” but has “clear guidelines” regarding which cases can be included.
It includes cases transferring to other districts and cases “pending allocation for assessment or awaiting transfer to other teams.”
The list also includes cases of child protection workers on leave, vacant child protection positions, and cases “being monitored prior to case closure.”
The department said it also captures “interactions with children who are not in care but have come into contact with the child protection system.”
“Importantly, children on the monitored list receive the same access to child protection supports and medical services as children with a dedicated case worker,” a department spokesperson said.
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For culturally safe First Nations crisis support, call 13YARN on 13 92 76